1) Around 8, I only started my proper list last year though.
2) Not sure, I think I just needed names for my imaginary kids.
3) I don't know. Similar to now. Some classics, and mythological.
4) I used to imagine getting married to and having kids with the Doctor (David Tennant at the time), so my first favourite boys name was Alonzo. And there was a girl who went to my music group called Imogen (who reminded me of my cousin), and I loved her name. ImogenAmelia and AuroraBreanne nn Rory, were also results of my imagination (MattSmith's incarnation this time). I liked PhoenixOrion for a boy, by then, because of a story with a phoenix (The Phoenix and the Carpet), and Orion's link with the stars.
5) BothAlonzo (recent addition), Imogen and Aurora (two of the firsts) are on my list. Phoenix is my second favourite boys name now, and Orion was one of the first boys names.
6) Most of my friends actually think it's cool. Not going to start on family for a while, it'd just be awkward.
7) Quite unusual, I try to stay away from popular. I like older/vintage/classic names, and, most of my names seem to have European origins. I like a lot of mythological names and all my absolute favourite names feel magical or historical, and adventurous.
8) I'd love it if my son or daughter liked names as much as I do! I wish I had someone now I could talk to about names (family-wise), without it seeming weird.

1.) 2002 when I was 10 years old
2.) My aunt was pregnant in 2002 w/ her first child and my whole family hated the name she had picked out for him. My mom asked if I would like to make a list of names I liked to send to her, so maybe she would change her mind (my mom bought me a baby name book to help me make the list). I had SO much fun making that list. I loved reading about them and learning where they came from. Guess what? My aunt chose a name for BOTH of her kids from my list!
3.) Names you would consider trendy
4.) For YEARS I was convinced I was going to have a daughter named Alana and a son named Noah. I found them in the baby name book my mom got me.
5.) Yes, I still like them, but they're not my absolute favorites anymore
6.) No one has made fun of me for being interested in names. My mom and I talk about names a lot (mainly celebrity baby names). It wasn't til recently that my mom blabbed to my grandparents and aunt and uncle that I like making name lists. It was a little embarrassing, but no one seemed to think it was weird. Turns out my aunt is interested in names too!
7.) For boys I like more traditional and classic names. Very few names in my boys list is "out there." For girls my style is all over the place. From trendy to very unusual.
8.) I wouldn't mind if my kids were interested in names. I find researching names quite fascinating!

Last edited by erin91; May 4th, 2014 at 09:41 PM.

Not expecting, just having fun collecting names!

My name is Erin. I am 24 years old and I have been a proud name nerd since I was 10.

1) When did you start loving/liking names? What age?
2) Why/How did you start loving/liking names?
3) How would you describe your taste in names then?
4) Do you remember your first ever name you loved? What was it? How'd you come up with it?
5) Do you still like that name?
6) Do your friends/family make fun of you for liking names? Or do you keep it a secret?
7) How would you describe your taste in names today?
8) Would you mind if your son/daughter liked names as much as you do when they're your age that you are now?

1) In fourth grade, my aunt got pregnant. That was when I became aware of names and feelings about them. The names I grew to like and dislike mostly revolved around people who generated strong feelings from me (a few characters from books, but it was mostly through kids at school). I had crushes on a Kevin and Justin and Chris, so I liked their names. I hated an Aaron, Melissa, and Bridget, so I likewise hated their names. However, my deeper love of names developed when I was 15ish when...

2) ...I got my first kitten, and I wanted her to have a "real" name. We'd had cats my entire life, but she was mine, which meant I got to name her whatever I (and I alone) wanted. It took months to name her. For short periods of time she was Lucy, or Jemima, or Hazel, or half a dozen others. Eventually I named her Eliza, after My Fair Lady. In the meantime, though, my cousin called the cat Ophelia until she had a real name. So she was ElizaOphelia.

3) I've always preferred classic names - regal and timeless.

4) I'll split this into two phases. During Phase 1, when my aunt announced she was pregnant, I remember loving Jennifer. I prayed and prayed she wouldn't name her daughter Jennifer. I don't even know where it came from, because I don't remember a character or classmate named this. It may have even been a name I got from my aunt while she was throwing names around with my mom, I have no idea. Well, guess what? She named her daughter Jennifer! I felt so betrayed. That was when I learned my "first come first serve" lesson on names. In Phase 2, which was when I was 15 and discovered the greater world of baby name forums and books, I fell for Phillip. I knew even then that I didn't want to name my child Phillip because the nn Phil is so unfortunate. Instead, I named everything else Phillip. My car is named Phillip, for instance. When it came to what to name a person, my first and only love for years was Henry. As for girls, I looooved Elaina. I made it up be because I loved the sound, and I was really happy when I found out that it was an established name.

5) Aside from the awful dated Jennifer, I love my Phase 2 names. In fact, Henry will be the name of our first son. My love for it is so longstanding that I didn't even give my husband a choice - I told him that the first baby boy that comes out of me will be named Henry, and he could name the second whatever he wanted (within reason). As for Elaina, there is a part of me that still prefers this spelling, since it was my first love, but I've opted for Elena since it's the standard version. I still love the sound, and I like that it is a variant of Helen, which was my amazingly strong grandmother's name. Sidenote: This was the first name I ever told to my husband on our first "name talk", and he fell totally and completely in love. This will be our first daughter. (I thought that I lucked out since he seemed so excited about my top name for both girls and boys, but we haven't agreed on anything since that first talk. LOL.)

6) I keep it more of a secret (though I've never been teased or anything for it by the select few that know) just because I know that none of my friends/other family would understand why I want to make beautiful name combinations for funsies. My husband actually thinks it's kind of odd since we aren't even TTC yet. Something about "saving the fun for later". Nah.

7) My tastes are the same. In fact, most of the combinations I love today were created when I was 15 and enjoying my first dip into the naming pool.

8) I don't have any burning desire for a child to share this passion. I want them to do them, whatever hobbies they feel called to. If, however, they did like names, I would be happy. Mainly because it would show that they understand that there is a responsibility in naming a person. It would hopefully mean that they would put more thought than "I like this, let's just call her this" and then I end up with a Maddeyleigh Raygan as a granddaughter.

2) My oldest brother Sawyer who was 29 at the time was having his first kid and the family went into a name finding friendly. I went and bought a baby naming book with my allowance and spent three nights straight reading the whole thing. (He ended up naming him JeffersonRoscoe..he goes by JR for short)

3) Back then I lived in Alabama right up next to Mississippi so I was into deep rooted family names and the hybrid cow boyish-Southern gentlemen names I was surrounded by. (Monroe, Rhett, Rivers, Jefferson, Jedediah)

4) The very first name I ever fell in love in love with was Russ. It was the name of my grandpa's hunting dog who was my very best friend until he was put down hill I was in the fifth grade. I was convinced I would name my child after that dog.

5) Yes. I adore the name! But instead of naming my child after it, I have a big 'ol bloodhound, the mirror image of the original, named Russ Boonedocks Junior.

6) My brothers give me a little crap about it, but then again that's what brothers do. At the end of the day they all come flocking to me when they need names for their latest child. (With 8 brothers I've got 22 nieces and nephews and counting...THE SCOTT NAME LIVES ON!!!! lol)

2) My friend's mom was about to have twins, and she hated the names they were going to be given. We did a ton of investigating for better names that her parents could pick, and learning about all the names just kind of stuck with me. (We succeeded in getting the heinous names moved to the twins' middles because we found names her parents ended up liking better.)

3) I think I've always liked more classic names.

4) One of my mother's friends had a daughter named Laura who was six or seven years older than me, and I thought she was so pretty. She was the only Laura I knew, so I just figured that everyone with that name was pretty like her.

6) I don't necessarily keep it a secret, I just don't think it's ever really come up. I'll express my opinion to them on names though, like if we're out somewhere and a mother calls to her kid, I'll most likely say something about the name, but I don't think they really notice or think it's weird or anything. Mostly, they do the same.

7) Still more classic names, but I'm way more likely to branch out now than I was then.

8) I think would love it! I'd be interested to see what they thought of names that I liked/didn't like. My mom is kind of a name nerd, and sometimes we have conversations about stuff that she wanted to name me but that my dad didn't like (or the other way around). It's cool to share interests with your parents, but I can't say I would be devastated if my kids didn't like names.